Fuel tank



1,521,293. R. H. HAZELTINE FUEL TANK Filed June 17, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR B wwm w 1,521,293 R.H.HAZEUHNE FUEL TANK Filed June 17, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENVENTOR Y 541 M L I? MZQQPATTORNE S Dec. 1924. 1,521,293

' R. HAZELTINE FUEL TANK Filed June 17, 1921 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR ATTORNE 3 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

"UNITED. STATES nonnnm H. nnznmrnnjor NEW YORK, n. Y.

FUEL TANK.

" Application filed June 17, 1921. Serial No. 478,333.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ROBERT H. HAZEL- TINE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe city of NewYork, in the county and State of New York, have ,invented an Improvement in Fuel Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for elevating liquids from a low to a higher level and for discharging such elevated liquids by gravity to a device in which they are used and has particular application to such devices when used as fuel. tanks in motor vehicles in which the main source of fuel supply is a tank located at a convenient low level and the fuel israised to a higher level in order to be discharged by gravity to the carburetor.

In such devices it is desired to secure as nearly as possible a constant fio-w at constant pressure to the carburetor and it is of course desirable to provide a device which will opcrate with great certainty under widely varying conditions of load, throttle opening and variation ofthe vacuum by which the device is operated. 2 It is also desirable to design the device so that it will have the minimum number of moving parts and that such partswvill be rugged and simple of construction. V

In the drawings, I have shown,-

In Fig- 1, a sectional .view of my improved device showing the primary control valve;

In Fig. 2, a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; 1 I

In Fig. 3, a-sectionalview of the valve mechanism of'the device; and r In Fig. 4, a sectional view showing the secondary control valve. I

Referring to the drawings, it. will be seen that my improved fuel't'ank comprises a plurality .of fuel containers in the particular modification illustrated,two in number, each container having an associated valve mechanism. .The containers-may for convenience be called the primary and secondary containers and as will hereafter be shown, the valve mechanism for the secondary container depends for its operation upon the condition of the valve mechanism of the primary container, the arrangement being such that the primary container is called upon to perform most 'of the workof elevating and dischargingliquid, the secondary container being called uponto prov de a supplementary or equalizing supply during periods at which the primary container is not dischargmg.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the primary container, 2 is the secondary container. Each of said containers is provided with a float 3 and at which is connected by means of suitable linkage, comprising the hanger 5, lever 6, link 7 and bell crank 8, with the valve. Link 7 may be slotted as at 9, to permit a limited movement of the float without afiecting the valve. Both of said containers are arranged to discharge into a common carburetor supply pipe 10, through valves 11 and 12. Each of the containers may be provided at any suitable place with an aperture 45 into which a funnel 46 and plug 457 are fitted for the purpose of priming when necessary.

The control valves are mounted upon a suitable cover 13 which tightly closes the containers 1 and 2 and may be conveniently arranged in a valve casing 14;, suitably bored to take thepiston valve 15 for the primary container and the piston valve 16 for the secondary container. Suitable connections are made in the valve casing, preferably immediately above the primary valve 15 for supplying the liquid and air to the containers and connecting the source of suction. Referring to Fig. 1, the pipe 17 is the fuel supply pipe which is branched to form two ports 18 and 19. The connection to atmos phere is made through apertures 20 and 21 and the connection to suction through pipe .22 which is branched to form two ports 23 and 24. The valve casing 14: contains passages connecting the two valves 15 and 16, 25. being a liquid supply passage which may be made to register with port 19 through port 32, 26 being an air-supply passage which may be made to register with port 20,

through port 31, and 27 being a suction passage which may be made to register with port 23 through port 29. The primary valve 15 contains primary suction passage 28, secondary suction passage 29, primary air passage 30, secondary air passage 31, secondary liquid passage 32, primary liquid passage 33. Secondary valve 16 contains the following apertures: suction 34, air 36, and liquid 37 An air port 35 is provided in the casing to register with aperture 36, as will be explained hereafter.

As will be clearly seen from Fig. 1, the valves are moved by bell crank 8 and may be adjusted by means of limit screws 38 and 39.

The operation of my improved device'is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown'in Fig. 1, the secondary container being assumed to be discharging at the time, it will be seen that the primary container which is shown in the figure is partly full of liquid, that the float 3 has reached container is connected to suction through ports 28 and 24:, that the air supply at port 21 is shut off by reason of the failure of ports 21 and to register and that the fuel supply to the primary container is open through the registry of ports 18 and 33; Primary container 1 is therefore under vacuum with the air supply cut off and fuel beingsupplied to it. At this time, due to the position of valve 15, fuel is shut off from the secondarycontainer by reason of the failure of ports .19 and 32 to register, air is being supplied to the secondary container by reason of the registry of ports 20 and 31 and suction is, shut off from the secondary container by reason of the failure of' ports 23 v and 29 to register. As the level of the liquid in container 1 rises, the floatv actuates the valve 15 through theeonnecting. mechanism tothrow it to its extreme position towards the right of Fig. 1. This will cause ports ply through ports 19 and 32 with the secondary valve and will shut off the liquid supply to the primary container by throwing ports 18 and 33 out of registry. When valve 15, th'c'zrefore,is inthe extreme righthand pos1tion,tho primary 6011132111181 1S'1I1 the condition of having its suction'and fuel shut off and being-vented to the atmosphere. j The operation of the valve. 16 of the secondary containeris shown inFigs. 1 and 4.

. 1V hen the parts are in the position shown in 1 '(the only co-nnection to secondary container made through valve 15 at that time being the connection to atmosphere through ports20 and 31)-- secondary control valve 16 -willconnect secondary container 2with atmosphere through port 36 registering vwith passage 26, which as explained above, is connected at that time through valve 15 with the atmosphere. Thus when valves 15 and open to the atmosphere.

valve 12 opens to permit the contents of container 2 to flow into the discharge pipe 10.

When, however, the levelin primary container 1 has risen to such an extent as to throw primary valve 15 to its right-hand position, primary container 1 commences to discharge, the container having been con nected to atmosphere as described above and valve 11 being open to permit the liquid to.

flowiiitoi the discharge conduit 10, and by maiycontainer'l has not discharged suf ficiently to move valve'f15 to its. left-hand position; Assuming, therefore, that valve 15 is still in its left-hand position and 'float a of the secondary container J2is moved upward, it willbe seen that the movement of valve 16 will shut off the suction by the movement of port 34 with respectto passage 27, will vent the secondary container to atmosphere through passage 35, registering with port 36, and 'willshut'oif the liquid by moving port "37 out of registry with passage 25. In this condition both primary andsec-- ondary containers will discharge simultane 'ously, of if the level of theliquid in either container'behigher than theother, that having the higher level will levels are equalized;

' In practice, as will be readily understood from the drawings and foregoing descrip discharge until the 'tion, variation in level, except in cases of inordinate demand, is limited su'bstantiah lyto the lost motion provided in links '7, as shown at 9 plus the neces's'ary movement oif'the float to produce movement of the valves and therefore, if desired; the

variation in level may be confinedwithin very narrow limits. 1 It will also be seen that without excessively varying the level of the liquid "in thecontainers, the apparatus is such that large. demands are readily met and the-device is therefore particularly 'adaptedfor 'useunder conditions in which widevariations of load, vacuumand fuel supply are met with.

While I have only S oat one ai s? my invention, it will beIobvious to those 'skilledin'the art that many changes may. be made therein without departing from the spirit of my. invention, and I therefore do notintend to lconfine myselfito the modification shown and described. 16are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and i '1 i I 3, secondary container 2 is dischargingand It will be understood that at this time, of course, the check I claim plurality of containers" discharging into.,a

common outlet, a source of vacuum, a source I of liqiiid'supply,'valve mechanism responsive to the liquid level in one of the containers for connecting said container either to vacuum and liquid supply, or to atmosphere, and valve mechanism 0 erable independently of the first mentione valve mechanism but responsive to the liquid level in another container and under the controlot' said first valve mechanism for connecting" said other container either to vacuum and liquid supply or to atmosphere.

2. In a device of the kind described, a primary container, .a secondary container, a source of vacuum, a source of liquid supply, a valve mechanism for said primary container and operative responsive to variations in liquidlevel in said primary container for connecting said container to liquid supply and vacuum or to atmosphere, and valve mechanism for said secondary container operable independently of said first mentioned valve mechanism but responsive to variations in liquid level in said primary container for connecting said secondary container to liquid supply and vacuum or atmosphere. V

3. In a device of the kind described, a primary container, a secondary container, a source of vacuum, a source of liquid supply, a valve mechanism responsive to variations in liquid level in the primary container adapted to alternately vent the prlmary and secondary containers to atmosphere, and a valve mechanism responsive to variations in liquid level in the secondary container for venting the secondary container to atmosphere independently of said first mentioned valve mechanism.

4. In a device of the kind described, a primary container, a secondary container, a source of vacuum, a source of liquid supply, a valve mechanism responsive to variations in liquid level in the primary container adapted to alternately vent the primary and secondary containers to atmosphere, and a valve'mechanism responsive to variations in liquid level in the secondary container for venting the secondary container to atmosphere conjointly With and independently of said first mentioned valve mechanism.

5. In a device of the kind described, a plurality of containers connected to a common outlet, a common cover for said containers provided with a plurality of passages and valve seats, a valve slidable in each of said valve seats, a float in each container and controlling the reciprocation of each of said valves, a source of vacuum, and a source of supply, the before mentioned valves being provided With a plurality of ports'so arranged as to register with the passages in said cover whereby variations in liquid level in the containers connect each of said containers either to liquid supply and vacuum or to atmosphere, one of said valves being dependent for its operation upon the liquid level in an adjacent container.

6. In a device of the kind described. a pair of containers discharging into a common outlet, a float in each of said containers, a liquid supply, a source of vacuum, an independent valve mechanism for one of said containers. and a valve mechanism for the other of said containers, said second named valve mechanism being controlled by said first mentioned valve mechanism, said valves being adapted to control the liquid supplied to the containers and adapted t; be operated by independent floats in said containers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 14th day of June, 1921.

ROBERT H. HAZELTINE 

